Centrifugal blower wheel



2, 1938- w, T. SWINGLE ET AL 2,125,697

CENTRIFUGAL BLOWER WHEEL Filed Sept. 14, 1937 T V. T. Era/12715 L. f. Buckle W I M Patented Aug. 1938 PATENT OFFICE.

CENTRIFUGAL Wayne T. Swingle BLOWER and Leo P. Buckley,

Hastings, Nebr.

Application September 14, 1937, Serial No. 163,854

3 Claims.

This invention relates to centrifugal blower wheels and to the method of making the same.

The conventional design of blower wheelcomprises a pair of fiat end rings slotted to receive lugs projecting from the opposite ends of the interposed blades. These lugs projecting through the slots are then welded or riveted to the end rings to lock the blades securely to the rings. The main objection to this old method of construction resides in the dimculty of stringing the lugs of the blades through the slots in the end rings; especially, in attempting to get the last few blades in place in e. 48 or 64 blade wheel, because the lugs must all be exactly aligned with the. slots they are to enter.

In the present invention the difilculties referred to are overcome by eliminating the lugs on the ends of the blades and providing slots in ribs or projections formed in each end ring to receive the square ends of the blades.

The main object of the invention, therefore, is to provide e-centrifugol blower wheel in which the parts thereof can be assembled very rapidly, so that the wheels can be manufactured. in quantitles with low cost for labor and material.

Other objects will become apparent as the detailed description thereof proceeds In the drawing:

Figure l is a sectional elevation 01' a jig used in assembling the elements of this blower wheel, and showing a pair of end rings and a, central disc mounted on the jig in position to receive one of the blades;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the blower wheel with parts broken away to show details of construction;

Figure 3 is e. verticcl section token on the line 5l3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1- 3 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a. top plan view of port of a modiiied form of rin 7 V Figure 6 is o section taken on the line 8 --$,of Figure 5.

In the wheels formed in accordance with the present invention, the ends of the blades are cut oil" square, so that there are no projecting lugs to he aligned with correspondingly shaped slots in the end wheels. The end wheels illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, end def the drawing, and identified by the reference numerals M and I5, are each provided with an inwardly projecting annular rib l5, which is slotted at regular intervals to receive the blades l1. These blade receiving slots it are formed only in the projecting ribs, so

that the-ends of the blades may be made perfectly square and be slid in between the opposed end rings l4 and I5 when the latter are properly assembled on a suitable jig such as is shown in Figure 1 of the drawing, and designated generally by the reference numeral l9.

Referring now to Figure l, the jig is comprises a shalt 2%) adapted to receive slidablv a. sleeve 2|, which is provided with screwthreaded radial bores 22 and 23, adopted to receive set screws N, having their inner ends pointed to seat in conical recesses 25 formed in the shaft 20 for properly locating the sleeve 2| thereon. The opposite ends of the shaft Eli are turned down to form shoulders 26 and 27, adopted to form stops for the inner ends of bosses 28 and 28, projecting inwardly fromthe circular ring positioning discs 30 and 36, respectively.

The discs so and M are centrally bored to slide on the projecting ends 32 and 33 of the shaft 26), and each of the mosses 28 and 29 has a set screw 35 extending radially therethrough to clamp the discs 30 and 3t securely in position and properly spaced apart on the shaft 28 by the shoulders 26 and. 21.

The sleeve M is a. part of the blower wheel, and is provided at its center arr-annular flange 35, provided with apertures 36, adopted to register with apertures 3? formed in a, center discs 38 and 39, which are slidehiy mounted over a reduced portion til oi? the sleeve 2i; and are suitably secured as by rivets ll to the annular flange 35.

The center discs 33 and. 39 are of the same diameter, which is less than the outer diameter of the end ring. The outer ends of these center discs are hent to form ogcpesltely directed ennular ribs l2 and M which are provided with registering slots to receive the center ports of the blades i'l, each of the latter being provided with a notch it to straddle the ends of the discs 3t and 39 where they merge with the ribs 42 end- 53. The ribs 32 and t3 ere not ehsolutely necessnry to the construction oi these wheels. However, it is preferable to use these rlhs because they serve in the some manner as the ribs It on the end rings to stifien the blade construction as a. whole,

The circular discs to and iii are provided with annular recesses on the inner faces to form shoulders id and 46 against which the inner edges of the end ring and the blades ll may beposltioned for properly assembling the elements of the wheel. While there is only one of the blades I"! shown in Figure 1 as positioned in the jig H between the end rings M and it, it to be under-- stood that these blades wi l be spaceiil around the rings M and I5 the center and 39 suiristantially as shown in theme 2 of ti'ie drawing. It is not necessary the ribs around the end rings be continuous. All that is required for properly holding the blades to the rings is some kind of inner projec on on the said ring which can be slotted to receive Jib? ends of the blades slidably'when the rings are located on the jig shown in Figure 1 of the drawing.

In the modified form. of he invention shown in Figures 5 and 6 oi the wing, the end rings 4'! are indented at regular spaced intervals to form the projecting members t8, "which are slotted I to receive the blades H. In this form of the in- 'vention, center discs similar to those shown in Figure 1 may be used; or. separate projecting members similar to members 48 may be formed on the discs to receive the intermediate slotted center parts of the blades l1.

Numerous variations may doubtless be devised by persons skilled in the art without departing from the principles of our invention. We, therefore, desire no limitations to be imposed on our invention, except such as are indicated in the appended claims.

What we claim is:

1. A centrifugal blower wheel comprising a pair of end rings having annular ribs formed on one face of each ring, each of said rings being provided with slots extending only through said ribs, blades seated in said slots with th ends against the inner sides of said rings and suitably secured thereto.

A centrifugal blower wheel comprising a pair of end rings having annular ribs iorined on one face of each ring, each of sa .ings being provided with slots extending only i rough said ribs and spaced apart anguiarl thero blades seated in saidL slots with their ends must the inner sides of said rings and provided on their inner edges with radially extending notches, and a pair of center discs in contact with each other and having their outer edges seated in said notches and provided with annular ribs slotted radially to extend radially and in o oosite riireo tions in bracing contact with opposite titles of each of said blades.

3. .A centrifugal blower wheel including a pair of end rings each having a member projecting from one face thereof, each of said members being provided with a slot extending only to the face of the ring upon 'which it is formed, a blade having its opposite ends seated in said slots and against the opposing races of said rings and suitably secured thereto.

WKWE '1". EWINGLE. LEO Pl. ."BUCESZLEY.

iii 

